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Re: Skinny breastfed baby, probs weaning and speedy digesti

I'm guessing this is a UK mom, since in the UK "weaning" refers to the introduction of solids, not the cessation of breastfeeding only.

LLLMeg had some excellent questions for you about pacifier use, sleep stretches, weight gain pattern, activity, nursing frequency, etc. If you can give us an answer to those, we may be able to reassure you about your baby's wright, or point to some area that needs to be adjusted.

Re: Skinny breastfed baby, probs weaning and speedy digesti

Also it sounds to me like since you have started trying to nurse LESS you have seen NO weight gain. Am I reading that right? Because that would make sense. Since breast milk is far higher in calorie and fat content than solid food. I would NOT cut back on breast milk at all. I would move back towards nursing as often as possible and play with food at meal times. It sounds like she has always been a slow gainer but at least was consistent. Now with the cutting back of milk you are seeing NO gain. So bring the milk intake back up!

Re: Skinny breastfed baby, probs weaning and speedy digesti

I have a slow gainer too! Introducing solids is fine, but it's god to remember that even a nutrient rich solid has less good stuff than does your milk. So remember to nurse baby first and then offer healthy solids. That way baby gets the benefit of both, but is able to have all the milk s/he needs.

Re: Skinny breastfed baby, probs weaning and speedy digesti

With pp. Until baby is at least a year, solid food is just for play and experimentation. Baby is still learning how to chew and swallow. Solids should always be offered AFTER nursing not as a substitute or even before nursing.

Genetics can also play a huge factor on how a baby grows. I am a petite adult and was a small child. DH is the same. It is therefore not surprising that DD is also small. As a young infant she was in the 50th percentile, but as soon as she became active she dropped down to the 3rd. At almost 2 years old she still only weighs 21.7lbs (about 9.8kgs)

Re: Skinny breastfed baby, probs weaning and speedy digesti

definitely a term mix up - i live in uk an here weaning=starting solids;

i started solids very slowly - at my daughter's own pace - she would take only a couple of teaspoons anyway.I added new foods gradually but we started solids for a month now so i considered I can mix the fruits she already tasted.She preferred breast milk and i continued to feed her whenever she wanted around every couple of hours.She d
desn't feed for long - she never did.

As a newborn she put on weight well for the first month only and then the weight gain slowed down a lot.She was very colicky ad very gassy - now much better.She never seemed very hungry, was't keen on comfort feeding, and seemed full very quickly - my milk supply was ok but with a very high fllow.She never took a dummy/pacifier.We co-sleep and she nurses at night - sometimes only a couple of times, sometimes more a night. She still feeds quickly, needs 3 naps a day, seems very happy in a sling.

Her gaining weight rate was slowing even more around 5 months and the doctor was hoping to spike it up with solids.It was good the first week - she gained well justwith boiled carrots and pear ad baby rice.And then i noticed her weight didn't change for 2 weeks now, although i was offering her foods pretty high in calories(she was eating small quantities though).No other liquids but milk for us - we are having a wet and cold summer here in uk so she is not particularly thirsty.

She seems happy and smiling a lot, rolling around - definitely not crawling yet, she still needs support for sitting.

I think what i need the most is reassurance - is this normal, is she healthy, have you seen similar?We are going to the pediatrician tomorrow - it's pretty away- here in uk is a pain as children are normally seen by GPs that seem to have no clue about babies,they are very reticent to send you to specialists which are pretty inaccessible .

Re: Skinny breastfed baby, probs weaning and speedy digesti

She does sound normal and healthy. There are healthy babies in all percentiles on the growth charts, and statistically speaking there are just as many healthy babies in the 1st %ile as in the 99th %ile, just as many in the 25th as the 75th, etc. So just like we shouldn't fuss over a big but otherwise healthy baby, we shouldn't fuss over a small but otherwise healthy baby.

The one thing that makes me is your description of your baby... The fast feeds, gassiness, colicky behavior, and dislike of comfort nursing makes me wonder if maybe your baby wasn't struggling with a fast milk letdown due to milk oversupply. Although I also wonder about reflux, because usually babies whose moms have oversupply gain weight very rapidly. Babies with reflux sometimes fail to gain weight because using their digestive systems hurts too much. Things to talk about with the pediatrician, I suppose.

One thing that is very, very normal is for weight gain to slow down and for baby to drop percentiles around the middle of the first year- earlier for active babies, later for sedentary ones- as the baby starts expending calories on motion (reaching/rolling/crawling/etc.) instead of packing them on as fat.

Re: Skinny breastfed baby, probs weaning and speedy digesti

Thank you for encouraging me - been to the doctors again - nothing wrong from his point of view; I guess I am just puzzled that my daughter is not meeting my expectations - my son was just great putting on weight and great when I introduced solids - he would eat everything - so I didn't expect to have such a different experience! she seems to like only 'junk' :rusks with milk and maybe bananas...no fruits, no veg ...so I think I need to breath in - breath out and take one step at the time... With patience

Re: Skinny breastfed baby, probs weaning and speedy digesti

Ah - one more thing - doctor prescribed vitamins - should I give her? ( I actually bought them but didn't give them to her as the prescribed brand has peanut (!!!!) oil in them - was looking to buy another)